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Daily Pointers and Questions: PIB

Hi, 

Off late I have found PIB pointers to be rather good in terms of widening horizon to a lot of topics. I intent to post what I find important here on a daily basis, from a Prelims and Mains Perspective (BOTH)!

Feel free to add supporting documents and data on those topics!


Neyawn,chamomileand9 otherslike this
4.6k views

11 comments

What are the steps taken to boost agricultural and processed food products exports?

The APEDA has taken several initiatives
1. Organising virtual Buyer Seller Meets on agricultural and food products with UAE, USA
2. Recognition of 220 labs across India to provide services of testing to a wide range of products and exporters.
3. Assistance in up-gradation and strengthening of recognized laboratories for export testing and residue monitoring plans. 
4. Assistance under the financial assistance schemes of infrastructure development, quality improvement and market development for boosting export of agricultural products.
5. Participation of exporters in the International Trade Fairs, National events like AAHAR, Organic World Congress, BioFach India etc. to promote agri-exports.
6. Development and implementation of traceability systems which ensure the food safety and quality compliances of the importing countries.
chamomile,No 1and4 otherslike this
4k views
Measures taken by the steel plants to increase production of LIQUID MEDICAL OXYGE
N the country included the following:-
 
(i)         Reduced production of liquid Nitrogen and Liquid Argon.

(ii)        Reduced usage of gaseous oxygen thereby reducing steel produced.

Question can be - Gases produced in Steel Plants?
eclectus,rpshieldand1 otherslike this
3.5k views

Govt announces incentive for mills exporting sugar, diverting it to ethanol


The Government of India is taking proactive measures to boost the export of surplus sugar & diversion of sugar to ethanol. The move is to ensure timely payment of cane dues of sugarcane farmers and to boost the agricultural economy.


Measures taken by Government for Sugar Industry:


1. India is the world’s second-largest sugar-producing country. It had to offer export subsidies in the past two years to reduce surplus stocks and help cash-starved sugar mills clear cane payment to growers.

2. However, the global sugar prices have increased substantially in the past one month, and there is a huge demand for Indian raw sugar.

Accordingly, the Government has asked domestic sugar mills to export sugar and sign forward contracts with the importers to take advantage of high international prices of sugar. A forward contract is a customized contract between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a specified price on a future date.

3. Moreover, the Government has announced that sugar mills that export sugar and divert sugar to ethanol will also be given incentives in the form of an additional monthly domestic quota for sale in the domestic market.Currently, the government fixes a monthly quota for the sale of sugar in the domestic market. On an average, about 21 lakh tonne quota is fixed for a monthly sale for mills.


Benefits of Export of Sugar:


1. Export of sugar would not only help in improving the liquidity of sugar mills but also enable them to make timely payments of cane dues of farmers.

2. It would also stabilize the price of sugar in the domestic market, which will, in turn, improve the revenue realization of sugar mills and would address the problem of surplus sugar.



chamomile,Derekand1 otherslike this
3.9k views
In a major boost to wheat exports, the first shipment of Geographical Indication (GI) certified Bhalia variety of wheat was exported to Kenya and Sri Lanka from Gujarat. The GI certified wheat has high protein content and is sweet in taste. The crop is grown mostly across Bhal region of Gujarat which includes Ahmadabad, Anand, Kheda, Bhavanagar, Surendranagar, Bharuch districts.
chamomile,fortarach63
3.5k views
Initiatives of Government in ensuring Safety in Online Education

1. CBRE has launched a ‘Cyber Security Handbook’ to ensure safe and healthy digital habits among students. This module covers topics in cyber safety, such as cyber bullying, including social exclusion, intimidation, defamation, and emotional harassment, online sexual abuse, cyber radicalisation, online attack and frauds, and online enticement. 

2. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has prepared guidelines to handle the security concerns about various video conferencing apps, which can be found at this link:

3. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also issued advisory to all secretaries at school education department of all states to ensure safety of students in online classes.

4. PRAGYATA guidelines for school heads and teachers describe the need assessment, planning and steps to implement digital education while ensuring cyber safety and privacy measures. 
eclectus,
3.5k views
Government has declared 23rd January as Parakram Diwas to commemorate 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose:
eclectus,
3.5k views
BIMSTEC provides a unique link betweenSouth and South-East Asiawith 5 countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka from South Asia and two countries - Myanmar and Thailand from South-East Asia coming together on one platform for cooperation in 14 key economic and social sectors of the economy.
eclectus,
3.5k views

V.O.C’s entry into politics happened in 1905 when he joined the Congress Party after the Bengal partition. He was a follower of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He was also a great believer in the Swadeshi movement.VOC won the support of merchants and industrialists in Turicorin and Tirunelveli for the idea of establishing a Swadeshi merchant shipping outfit by the name of the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNCo). 

Chidambaram Pillai (VOC), who was awarded a double life-sentence by the British court, was also a redoubtable Tamil scholar and prolific writer and had penned commentaries on Tirukkural and Sivagnana Potham. 


D503,
3.5k views
India is to import of 12 lakh tonnes (lt) of genetically modified (GM) deoiled soya cake. This would be the first time India has allowed import of GM deoiled soya cake,to be used as a raw material in the poultry feed industry.
chamomile,
3.6k views
@upsc2020 Great Initiative. Kudos !


Derek,
3.9k views
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